Stumpy’s Last Bloom: A Farewell to the Most Human Tree in Washington, D.C.
🌸 Stumpy’s Last Bloom: A Farewell to the Most Human Tree in Washington, D. C. Some trees are beautiful because they are tall, symmetrical, and strong. But once in a while, a tree is beautiful because it isn’t. Each spring, Washington, D. C. becomes a dreamscape of soft petals and fleeting light. The Tidal Basin glows in blush tones, and visitors chase the perfect shot of perfect trees under a perfect sky. But I was drawn to a different kind of beauty— gnarled, broken, and still blooming. Her name was Stumpy . The Bloom That Defied the Odds Stumpy wasn’t supposed to bloom. She was half a tree, really— hollowed out, her center eaten away by time and water and rot. And yet, like clockwork each spring, Stumpy did something miraculous. She bloomed anyway. She stood at the edge of the Tidal Basin, beside the Washington Monument, offering no explanation. She didn’t need one. Tourists walked right by her for years, cameras focused on the grander trees. But those who stopped and...